1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program, particularly to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program, which estimate a time frame in which a user watches a content to be broadcast, a content already recorded, and a content to be downloaded in accordance with user's lifestyle, generate a viewing schedule based on the estimated result, and present it to a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, there is diversity in the types of video contents that can be watched with the use of a television set (display), and in addition to television programs being broadcast in real time, there are other contents such as contents of recorded television programs, contents downloaded on demand from a predetermined server over the Internet, and contents recorded on a recording medium such as a DVD.
Hereinafter, a television program broadcast in real time is referred to as a broadcast content, a content of a recorded television program is a recorded content, and a content downloaded on demand from a predetermined server over the Internet is an on-demand content. In addition, in the case in which the broadcast content, the recorded content, and the on-demand content are not distinguished from each other particularly, these contents are referred to as a video content, or simply a content.
In addition, there is a technique before in which attribute information about a broadcast content is read out of EPG data, for example, a broadcast content matched with a search condition such as a keyword and a genre registered in advance is retrieved to highlight and display the retrieved broadcast content on an electronic program guide or to give a predetermined mark to the retrieved broadcast content for display, whereby a user is recommended to watch the broadcast content (for example, see Patent Reference 1 (JP-A-H11-69316)).
Moreover, there is a technique in which a broadcast content matched with a search condition such as a keyword and a genre registered in advance is retrieved and automatically recorded, and the recorded contents are classified according to genres, or arranged in order of degree matched with user's favorites, whereby a user is recommended to watch the recorded content.
Furthermore, this scheme is also performed that popular contents (contents relatively frequently downloaded) in video on-demand services are made public, and a user is recommended to download the contents.